Appliance switch and conductor assembly



Aug 17, l965 E. R. sco'r-r 3,201,553

APPLIANCE SWITCH AND CONDUCTOR ASSEMBLY Filed March 20, 1963 Hfs Aorngy.

United States Patent O 3,201,553 APPLIANCE SWITCH AND CQNDUCTGR ASSEMBLY Ernest R. Scott, Richmond Heights, Ohio, assignor to General Electric Company, a corporation of New York Filed Mar. 20, 1963, Ser. No. 265,75@ 7 Claims. (Cl. 20G-157) This invention relates generally to an appliance switch and conductor assembly. lt is particularly applicable to such an assembly for the hollow handle of an appliance such as a door polisher or vacuum cleaner.

In various electrical household appliances of the type required to be manually manipulated by the user, it has been found convenient to locate the appliance control switch on the handle of the appliance. ln such devices, it is common to provide a hollow handle for accommodation of the motor switch and the electrical connections between the switch, the power conductor cord, and the motor conductor cord. To prevent broken connections, short circuiting, and burned out conductors caused by the repeated straining and pulling of the motor and power conductors, strain 'relief mounting devices have been utilized within the appliance handle in the vicinity of the motor switch.

Prior to this invention, the available hollow handle conductor assemblies have included a removable plate, attached to the outer surface of the handle, for providing access to the switch and conductor mounting device, the mounting device being secured to the plate by separate fastening means. This type of construction has been found to provide a relatively expensive and complex switch and conductor assembly.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved switch and conductor assembly for the hollow handle of an appliance.

lt is another object of this invention to provide such an assembly designed for simplicity and ease of production.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a switch and conductor assembly for a hollow handle of an appliance having a mounting means which is secured Within the handle without the use of any separate fastening means.

It is another object of this invention to provide such an assembly which additionally precludes the entrance of foreign materials into the portion of the hollow handle housing the assembly.

In carrying out the objects of my invention in one form thereof, a switch and conductor assembl for an ap liance handle is provided having a self-supporting conductor mounting bracket. An elongated base of the bracket provides a keyhole-shaped slot. In the assembled position, a resilient enlargement, secured to the power conductor cord, extends through an aperture in the hollow handle and through a reduced portion of the bracket slot, for engagement with the bracket, in order to secure the bracket within the handle and to provide strain relief for the power conductor. Where desirable, as where the handle comprises a plurality of separable elements, the appliance motor conductor may extend through an aperture in an upstanding leg at one end of the bracket base for connection thereto by a strain relief. A second upstanding leg connected to the other end of the base, toward the open or free end of the handle, conforms to the inner periphery of the hollow handle to prevent the entrance of foreign matter into the switch and conductor connection area.

Thus, the power conductor enlargement and the slotted bracket cooperate to secure the bracket within t-he handle and to provide strain relief for the power conductor and lia-*rented Aug. 17, 1965 all requirements for additional bracket fastening means are eliminated.

Further objects and advantages of my invention may best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings in which:

PEG. l is a side view of the switch and conductor assembly with certain elements thereof cut away for clarity;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the mounting bracket; and

FlG. 3 is an end view taken on line 3-3 of FlG. 1.

Referring now to the drawings, FIG. 1 reveals a hollow handle lil, which may be tubular, for an appliance such as a iioor polisher or a vacuum cleaner, having an upper aperture lil and lower apertures l2 and 13. Aperture 13 permits vertical hanging of the appliance by the handle. A grip lid of vinyl or other suitable non-conducting material encloses the open end ida of the handle and provides a gripping surface for the user. integrally formed ears l' are provided on each side of the upper surface of the grip ld (see PEG. 3) to provide protection for a trigger lo of a switch i which controls the supply of current to the appliance motor. The ears l5 also provide a guide for thumb operation of the trigger i6.

The switch l? is secured by any suitable fastening means, such as screws itl, to the upper surface of handle l@ in a manner that the switch housing extends through aperture lll and is disposed within the handle. To provide clearance for the grip le above the screws l, the surface of the handle adjacent aperture lll may be depressed as shown in HG. l.

A conductor i9 from the appliance motor extends up- .'ardly through handle iti toward the gripping area of the handle and provides a pair of leads llQa and ib. A power conductor 2li having a resilient strain relief or enlargement 21 molded thereon, or otherwise secured thereto, extends through aperture l2 in the lower surface of handle lil and provides a pair of leads 2tlg and itil). Enlargement 2i includes a pair of recesses 22., only one of which is visible in FG. l, and a shoulder 23. It should be noted that shoulder Z3 incorporates a concave surface so that it conforms to the convex lower surface of the handle thereby sealing the aperture l2 when shoulder 23 abuts the outer periphery of aperture l2. The leads 19h Zibb of the motor and power conductors, respectively, are connected to switch i7 in any suitable manner. Leads liga and 20a are connected by an electrical connector 24.

To provide for the strain relief of both the motor conductor i9 and power conductor Ztl, a mounting bracket 25, as best seen in FIG. 2, is provided. Bracket 25, which may be of steel or other suitable material, comprises an elongated central base 26 and a pair of short, upstanding, legs 27 and 23. Leg 27 is apertured to engage `a strain relief means such as grommet 29 (FIG. 1) which is secured to motor conductor 19. Leg 28 conforms generally to the inner periphery of the handle 1i) and prevents the insertion of any foreign matter into the switch and conductor assembly area through aperture 13 or through the open end lila of the handle should vinyl grip 14 be removed. lt is to be understood that the strain relief provided for the motor conductor 19 by leg 27 is only required where a separable multi-element handle is used, to prevent damage to the connections at the switch and motor ends of the motor conductor. Therefore leg 27 may be omitted when a single piece handle is used.

The base 26 of bracket 25 defines an elongated slot 30. Slot 3i) is of keyhole configuration having an enlarged periphery 31 and a reduced periphery 32. When the bracket 25 and conductors 19 and 20 are in their assembled position of FlGS. 1 and 3, the recesses 22 of screws 1S to the upper surface of the handle.

' cord connection area,

enlargement 21 engage the reduced periphery 32 of siot 30, thereby securing the resilient enlargement 2110 bracket 25. At the same time, shoulder 23, formed on enlargement 21, abuts the outersurface of handle it). By offsetting the slotted portion of base Zd of the bracket from the bottom surface `of handle Titi, a wedging effect is achieved between the recesses 22 and the abutting shoulder 23 of 'enlargement 21. This wedging effect secures power conductor 2@ to the handle for strain relief thereof and also secures bracket 25 within the handle; the engagement of recesses 22 with slot periphery SZ'prevents outward movement of the power conductor by pulling, while abutting shoulder Z3 prevents the inward movement of the power conductor. n'

To insure a locking of the enlargement 2i within the reduced periphery 32 of elongated slot 3d, the periphery of the slotfbetween the enlarged periphery 3i and the reduced periphery 32 provides a pair of ears 33a which extend inwardly to reduce the Width of the entrance to the reduced peripheral area. Thus, any slight motion of the bracket 25, toward the open end of the handle, will not be sufiicient to cause the bracket to move out of engagement with enlargement 2li.

The base 26 of the bracket 25 isreduced in dimensibn centrally vat 34 to facilitate the offsetting of the slotted portion of the base from the inner wall of the handle l@ during production. For the sameV reason, the base is joined to upstanding legs 27 and 28 by regions of reduced dimension.

The elements of this invention are assembled in the following manner. Priorto insertion of the bracket within the hollow handle id, motor conductor i9 is connected to leg 27 of the bracket by means of strain relief grommet 29. The bracket and motor conductor unit is then slid into the open end 16a of the handle until the enlarged periphery 3i -of the bracket slot is aligned over handle aperture 12. Power conductor 2G, with enlargement Z1 secured thereto, is then inserted into aperture 12 until shoulder 23 abuts the outer surface of handle iti; the inner portion of enlargement 21 thus extends through the enlarged periphery 31 of slot 30.

In order to secure the power conductor Ztl to the handleV and to additionally secure bracket 25 within the handle, the bracket is then slid further into the handle so that the reduced periphery 32 of slot 3@ locks tightly into theft recesses 22 of enlargement 2l. ri`he leads of conductors 19 and 2@ are then fished out of the upper aperture il of the handle and the appropriate connections are made to switch 17 and between leads 19a and 2da to connector 24. Switch 17 with the leads 19h and Zflb connected thereto is then inserted into aperture liV and Vsecured by Finally, grip 1li is slid over the handle to complete assembly of the unit. Susequent to completion of the handle assembly, the motor conductor i9 is connected to the appliance motor.

It caribe seen that the bracket 2S of this invention accomplishes a plurality of desirable functions. In addition to providing strain relief for the power and motor conductors, the bracket 25 is secured within the handle solely by means of its connection to the power conductor through enlargement 2l. Thus, any requirement for additional bracket mounting fasteners is eliminated, thereby reducing assembly costs during manufacture as well as reducing repair or replacement time. Furthermore, 'meansV are provided on the bracket to insure the prevention of the entrance of foreign matter into the switch and This further reduces the possibilities of damage to the switch and conductor element.

While I have shown and described the specific embodiment of my invention,'l do not desire'my invention to be limited to the particular construction shown and described. Instead, I intend, by the appended claims, to cover all modifications within the spirit and scope of my invention.

What l claim is:

.1.' An appliance switch and conductor assembly cornprismg:

(a) a hollow handle for manualr manipulation of the appliance;

(b) a switch mounted within said handle and providing means for'external actuation thereof;

(c) first and second conductors extending into said handle, said conductors being electricaily connected within said handle to one another and to said switch;

(d) a mounting bracket defining a first aperture, said mounting bracket being disposed Within said handle; and Y (e) resilient means projecting through a second aperture in said handle for engaging the periphery of said first aperture in said bracket for securing said bracket within said handle and for externally connecting said second conductor to said handie to provide strain relief of said second conductor.

2. The assembly recited in claim l wherein said last named means provides a recess for engagement with the periphery of said aperture of said bracket.

3. An appliance switch and conductor assembly comprising:

(a) a hollow handle for manual manipulation of the appliance;

(b) a switch mounted within said handle and providing means for external actuation thereof;

(c) first and second conductors extending into said handle, said conductors being electrically connected within said handle to one another and to said switch;

(d) a mounting bracket disposed within said handle and defining a first aperture;

(e) means for connecting said first conductor to said bracket for providing strain relief of said first conductor; and

(f) resilient means secured to said second conductor providing:

(aa) a first portion for abutment with the exterior surface of said handle, and

(bb) a second portion extending through a second aperture in said handle and through said first "aperture of said bracket, for engaging the periphery of said first aperture to thereby externally secure said second conductor to said handle and to secure said bracket within said handle.

4. The assembly recited in claim 3 wherein said engaging means provides a recess to engage the periphery of said first aperture of said bracket;

5. An appliance switch and conductor assembly comprising:

(a) a hollow handle for manual manipulation of the appliance;

(b) a switch mounted Within said handle and providing means for external actuation thereof;

(c) a motor conductor and a power conductor extending into said handle, said conductors being electrically connected within said handle to one another and to said switch;

(d) an elongated mounting bracket of generally U- shape having a pair of opstanding legs and a base, said base defining an elongated first aperture;

(e) resilient means extending through one of said upstanding legs for connecting said motor conductor to said bracket for strain relief of said motor conductor; v

(f) resilient means on said power conductor providing:

(aa) a shoulder for abutment with the exterior surface of said handle, and

(bb) a portion extending through a second aperture lin said handle land through said elongated first aperturerof said bracket, said portion providing a `recess for engagement with said first aperture to thereby externally secure said power` conductor to said handle for strain relief of said power conductor and to secure said bracket within said handle.

6. The assembly recited in claim 5 wherein the other of said upstanding legs substantially conforms to the inner surface of said handle to prevent the insertion of any foreign material into the area between said upstanding legs.

7. In an appliance housing substantially enclosing an .appliance switch and conductor apparatus mounting means for the conductor apparatus comprising:

(a) a bracket of generally U-shape having a pair of upstanding legs and a base portion, said base portion dening an elongated slot,

(b) a first resilient means extending through one of said upstanding legs for connecting a motor conduct-or to said bracket for strain relief of said motor conductor, and

(c) a second resilient means for engagement with a power conductor and said elongated slot in said bracket, said second resilient means also being engageable with a portion of said appliance for securing said bracket to said appliance and for providing strain relief for said power conductor.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Wiehle 20C-157 Broeske 200-157 Miller 248-56 Frantz 200-157 Kasper 200--157 Bellows.

Vance 20G-157 Strubel.

Staak 200-157 Schwartz.

BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner. 

1. AN APPLIANCE SWITCH AND CONDUCTOR ASSEMBLY COMPRISING: (A) A HOLLOW HANDLE FOR MANUAL MANIPULATION OF THE APPLIANCE; (B) A SWITCH MOUNTED WITHIN SAID HANDLE AND PROVIDING MEANS FOR EXTERNAL ACTUATION THEREOF; (C) FIRST AND SECOND CONDUCTORS EXTENDING INTO SAID HANDLE, SAID CONDUCTORS BEING ELECTRICALLY CONNECTED WITHIN SAID HANDLE TO ONE ANOTHER AND TO SAID SWITCH; (D) A MOUNTING BRACKET DEFINING A FIRST APERTURE, SAID; MOUNTING BRACKET BEING DISPOSED WITHIN SAID HANDLE; AND (E) RESILIENT MEANS PROJECTING THROUGH A SECOND APERTURE IN SAID HANDLE FOR ENGAGING THE PERIPHERY OF SAID FIRST APERTURE IN SAID BRACKET FOR SECURING SAID BRACKET WITHIN SAID HANDLE AND FOR EXTERNALLY CONNECTING SAID SECOND CONDUCTOR TO SAID HANDLE TO PROVIDE STRAIN RELIEF OF SAID SECOND CONDUCTOR. 